| LESSON
PLAN: AFGHANISTAN: PEOPLE, PLACES AND POLITICS Subject(s):
secondary current events, social studies, political science, communication
arts and journalism classes Objectives - Students will: 1.
Assess their prior knowledge about Afghanistan, establish goals for what they
want to learn about the country, and evaluate the accuracy of prior knowledge
based on new learning.
Materials
Procedure NOTE:
This lesson is broken up into three parts. Depending on the amount
of time available for study, the lesson could be done in its entirety or Part
1 through 3 could be completed as stand-alone lessons. Part
1: Background Information on Afghanistan 2. Make a brief statement such as: "While Afghanistan is located far from the United States, it is a country that we hear about frequently in the news. Because of this, learning as much as we can about the country, its people, and the political issues connecting the United States and Afghanistan is important. Keeping that is mind, complete column 2: What would I like to learn about Afghanistan?" By providing a statement such as this, students will begin to see the importance of knowing about and understanding information related to Afghanistan and other foreign countries. 3. Explain to students that later in the lesson they will be coming back to the Preview Activity to discuss if what they knew was correct and to see if they were able to learn everything they wanted to know before the activity began. 4. Using the Afghanistan Overview Handout or the Afghanistan Overview PowerPoint, review the basic information provided so that students get an understanding of the geography, people and political issues related to Afghanistan. Have students complete the Afghanistan: People, Places and Politics Study Guide as you present the information. 5. Take time to discuss the answers to the study guide and encourage students to add details to their answers as you discuss each item. Part 2: Learning In-depth Information About Afghanistan Note: Depending on the specific focus of your lesson, there are several ways to proceed as you begin Part 2. Those with a short amount of time or a specific area of focus should select one or two of the subject areas listed and have students create projects based on that topic. For those who want a lesson with a broader view or who have a greater amount of time available, all topics could be selected. TOPIC LIST:
6. Now that students have some basic knowledge about Afghanistan, explain to students that they will now have an opportunity to learn more about one/several important aspects of life in Afghanistan. From the list below, select the topics you would like students to use as the focus for their project. Arrange students into pairs and provide them with their topic assignment. 7. Distribute the Project Guidelines and review them with the class. Provide at least one class period for students to work with their partner to prepare their project. Information can be found at the Online NewsHour's In-depth Coverage of Afghanistan and the War on Terror. Other PBS Internet sources are listed on page two of the Project Guidelines. Please review Internet materials to be sure they are appropriate for your class and class level. 8. When all projects have been completed, provide class time for project presentations. 9. After all groups have made their presentations, direct students to get their Preview Activity sheets out. Provide students with approximately 5 minutes to check to see if they were correct in the information they recorded under the "What do I know about Afghanistan?" column and if they were able to find the answers related to the "What do I want to learn about Afghanistan?" column ideas. Part 3: Afghanistan and the United States 10.
To help students understand why what they learned about Afghanistan is important,
facilitate a class discussion/debate OR assign students to complete essay questions,
a theme or an essay related to what they have learned using questions such as:
11. As a closing activity, ask students to compose a piece of creative writing (a poem, short story, letter, journal entry, skit, etc.) that reflects what they have learned about life in Afghanistan. Students should share their work in small groups. Extension
Activities: 2. Invite people who are from or who have been to Afghanistan on military missions or as relief workers in to the classroom to answer student questions about life in Afghanistan. Students should prepare questions in advance to facilitate thorough discussion of information by the guest speaker.
Correlation to National Standards Geography World
History Language
Arts Reading Listening
and Speaking Viewing Working
with Others Thinking
and Reasoning About the Author: Lisa Prososki is an independent educational consultant and instructional design specialist who taught middle school and high school social studies, English, reading, and technology courses for 12 years. Prososki has worked with PBS TeacherSource and has authored and edited many lesson plans and materials for various PBS programs over the past 10 years. In addition to conducting workshops for teachers at various state and national meetings, Prososki works as an editor, creates a wide range of educational and training materials for corporate clients, and has authored one book. To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org. |
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